


Tantalus and the Lock

by nonky



Category: Nancy Drew (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M, Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-02-08 10:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21474409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nonky/pseuds/nonky
Summary: Bess needed Marvin DNA to compare to her own, and Nancy had recently found herself working with a member of the family in a few plots that turned out well. She could just ask Owen to come to The Claw and meet Bess. It was a very simple fix. They didn't even have to ask for his DNA if they could swab a drinking glass very shortly after he'd used it.She thought about the morality of it, and decided she would rather ask him to volunteer a sample. If Bess was really a Marvin, she could contact Owen and he would be able to present her to the rest of the family.
Relationships: Nancy Drew/Ned Nickerson, Nancy Drew/Owen Marvin
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15
Collections: Nancy Drew TV Series (2019)





	Tantalus and the Lock

Nancy looked at Bess, who was using the mostly empty restaurant to text with Lisbeth. Business wasn't picking up, and George was nervous enough to take out a cheap ad in the local paper to do more catering. Their regular daily shifts were a lot of standing around and prep work for customers who didn't show. 

As a summer job, it had the bright side of being easy to duck out and investigate without having to feel guilty. But none of them were making much money. Nancy should be putting out some resumes to be ready for the end of the summer. She might be able to pick up some office work or a job in a shop that did better business toward the Christmas season. 

Instead, she was cycling between mysteries for her next moves. Nick's friend Tiffany had been trying to expose her own in-laws for crimes, and died suddenly. Lucy Sable was the town's legendary unsolved murder, and her ghost was providing long ignored clues. Bess was perhaps a Marvin, and wouldn't know unless she could either ask someone in the family or get some DNA. 

Lucy's was a cold case, and every detail was like prying a toothpick sized sliver of wood from a whole forest to get a thawing fire going. It was going to take time. Tiffany's murder was on the local police blotter, and also the FBI's notice. The donation of a set of antique burial coins and a few shipping manifests had given them the means to look into the Hudsons. 

Nancy couldn't compete with the FBI, and she was momentarily stuck on Lucy. She had connections at the local PD, but they were being warned to keep her away. Her samples from Lucy's file needed a comparison from a female suspect. 

Bess needed Marvin DNA to compare to her own, and Nancy had recently found herself working with a member of the family in a few plots that turned out well. She could just ask Owen to come to The Claw and meet Bess. It was a very simple fix. They didn't even have to ask for his DNA if they could swab a drinking glass very shortly after he'd used it. 

She thought about the morality of it, and decided she would rather ask him to volunteer a sample. If Bess was really a Marvin, she could contact Owen and he would be able to present her to the rest of the family. 

Looking both ways for George, Nancy abandoned her napkin folding and went over to sit with Bess. 

"Hi! I'll come help you in a sec," she said, smiling into her phone. 

"It's fine. George is busy putting up anonymous reviews online, or trying to rework the seafood order down to save some money," Nancy told her. "I have an idea about your family questions. I think I can get a sample from Owen Marvin."

Bess stared at her, laying her phone down and blinking wildly. "Nancy, you can't do that to Nick!"

She could have phrased that more clearly, though she didn't appreciate the dirty conclusion. 

"Not that, Bess! I'd ask him for a sample of his hair or a cheek swab. Unless you want to ask him yourself, if you're ready to have that conversation," Nancy told her. 

"Uh, no, I'm not. I know it would be simpler, and Owen sounds nice. He obviously wants to help you out," she said. "But flirting with a cute waitress is different from the possibility of an estranged cousin expecting an introduction to the family."

Tilting her head back and trying to be patient, Nancy sighed. "I don't want to rush you. It's your choice, but how long are you planning to wait? I feel like it's going to look more like you're up to something the longer you're in town and not contacting them," she said. 

Bess' shrug was frustrated. "I don't know. I'm having second thoughts. I know I can't live here forever, making no money and not finding out what I'm here to find out. But I got tripped up when I met Lisbeth. She works for these rich families, and I keep hearing things that make me wonder if I want to be part of all that. The creepy auctioneer threatened to cut off my hand."

Nancy could sympathize with that. Unfortunately, living in a van through the winter didn't sound possible. She didn't want Bess to waste a few months and make a terrible first impression on the family she secretly wanted. 

"I could ask for you, and at least you could know if they really are your relatives," she said leadingly. "Most of them leave in another month and might be back for a week during Christmas. They barely go to town events when it's nice. They don't show up for ice sculptures if it requires being outside."

Bess stared at her manicure, and pouted. "Don't think I'm not grateful. I'm just not sure how much involvement I want with the Marvins. And I don't want you do anything that hurts Nick's feelings. He was being brave, but he definitely noticed Owen noticing you - and all the smiling."

Scoffing, Nancy said, "There wasn't that much smiling. It was just good manners."

"Okay. I believe you. Just normal, polite smiling . . . for a really long time."

It seemed petty to refuse to do the favour since she'd pressed to be allowed to help, and Nancy went back to napkins with relief. She liked Owen, but she wasn't available. She'd been very clear on that.

Finding him at the Lucky Sandcastle Competition wasn't too difficult. Most of the men there were with a date or a family. The ones attending solo tended to take a polite walk around the perimeter, nodding at entries knowingly. Owen happened to be in construction, and a Marvin, which qualified him to nod officially and judge the contest. 

He was making the rounds, and taking notes. Sometimes he'd hunker down and ask a child about a certain part of the castle. He was always kind, and seemed to listen to the answers. Sometimes he pointed out a feature for a compliment, and it didn't seem like an act. He was a nice guy. Money couldn't possibly ruin all of the people who had it, Nancy thought. 

She hung back until he seemed to have visited everyone on the beach. He shook hands and greeted people. He even dug into his pocket to pay for a replacement ice cream for a little girl who knocked into him. 

Nancy caught up to him while he was distracted throwing out the sandy cone and dabbing at the smear it had left on his shoe. 

"Hey Owen, I see the competition is ugly this year," she said brightly. "I'm glad I retired when I was eleven. It was time. I didn't have another year in me."

They were smiling at each other, but it was the normal amount of smiling. She made sure to break eye contact after a few seconds. 

"Nancy Drew, how nice to have you out to support the current hopefuls," Owen said. "Am I in the presence of a former champion?"

She smirked. "I was eight, and happened to have my mermaid doll in the car. I used her little hair clips all over the sides of the walls, and then I had her sunbathing on the top. My father gave me his comb to put woodgrain texture on the drawbridge and I won best decoration."

He was duly admiring, and pointed his pen at her with a speculative glimmer of a grin. "Just happened to have a mermaid doll with you, huh? I think a real winner is never without a plan. None of this surprises me about you."

He didn't seem to mind she was calculating, or that she happened to run into him more that summer than she ran into her own family and friends. She looked across the beach and pretended to study the sandcastles. 

"Mm, I bet I can tell you your top three," she offered. "Um, little orange flags all over, the really tall one with nine tiers, and the ranch style one with an in ground pool behind instead of a moat. I don't know how to figure out which you'd choose for the winner though. It's too much a matter of taste."

He tipped his notes to his shirt and pretended to be worried. "I'm sure I couldn't discuss such things before I make a final call. Also, a very close fourth was the one that's shaped like a really big periwinkle turned on its side. If they had it cross-sectioned and rooms inside, I'd have given it the prize easily."

He liked hidden depths, and he was funny. Nancy could see herself being very distracted by Owen if she'd met him before Nick. It might be a sign she was bouncing back from the long, sad drag of days when nothing felt interesting. 

"I like your eye for nuance."

"I just like your eyes," Owen said. "Not single by chance?"

Nancy bit her lip and looked down, her face going warm. "Not in the last few days," she told him. "But I did think of a great favour I'm sure you've never heard before."

His enthusiasm only deepened, giving him dimples. "Ah, of course you did. So give me ten minutes to award some ice cream vouchers, and I'll find you once I've done my sacred duty. You understand the stakes here, being a former winner. It's only a matter of time before Sandcastling makes the Summer Olympics."

She took a walk and sat down a little from the crowd, listening to the kids squeal. It didn't matter they were all getting ice cream vouchers, and the winners only got twenty dollars instead of the runner up ten dollar amounts. Everyone was having fun, and she could appreciate it for the lovely moment. The previous year, Nancy had skipped most of the summer and fall events. She'd thought she was too grown up, and then her mother's illness made it harder to enjoy anything.

When Owen found her again, she didn't have to try to lessen her smile down to polite but not too invested. He caught the difference, and leaned down to look at her closely. 

"Okay there, Nancy? You know they can't take your victory from you. You're part of the history of Horseshoe Bay," he teased. "I looked you up. You were also Sea Queen."

She shrugged. "And a murder suspect, too. I've made my mark on the place. Not sure anyone is happy about it, but it is the truth."

He put a hand out and pulled her to her feet. "To me, you'll always be the Best Decorated Sandcastle winner," Owen said fondly. "Let's take a walk so you can tell me all about this novel favour I get to experience."

They put some distance between the loud families savouring victories, and found a bench. Nancy pulled her hand away, and realized it hadn't felt weird walking hand in hand down the beach with a guy who wasn't her boyfriend. She might need to give Bess more credit for her theory. 

"First of all, this isn't anything criminal. There's no paternity suit, or investigation and nothing to worry about," she told him. "It's a little awkward. I'd like a lock of hair."

He made a face and chuckled to himself. "You know, you didn't reject me so hard you need to clone me instead of just changing your mind. I'm still up for dinner."

Nancy hoped her red cheeks might be passing for inadequate sunscreen. She wiggled around and tried to be serious with him. 

"Owen. It's not like that. I have a shy friend, who . . . "

Her lie had not been well-rehearsed. She'd been hoping he would be intrigued and go with it like the other favours. It was a lot less trouble than digging up a lawn. 

"I get it - she's training to be a stylist and she needs to know my secret. Argan oil in mousse makes it hold but not too much. I like a little natural sway in the breeze," he said. "Helmet head is kind of an old man look."

"You're impossible," Nancy breathed. "I can't explain without betraying a confidence, but there's no way this would get you into trouble. It will answer a question for someone trying to decide on a part of her future."

He toned down his amusement, and touched her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I am listening. It's just a little bit of a mixed signal after the last time we talked. I would be honoured to give you a lock of my hair, if I can have the same from you. Not for a paternity suit, or anything criminal. I just like the colour."

As deals with savvy rich men went, it was a pretty even trade. Nancy rubbed her forehead and tried to get her cheeks some cooler air. 

"We can do that," she agreed. "Who goes first?"

Owen looked strangely flattered as she pulled her folding scissors and a sandwich baggie from her purse. 

"I've never been so very fascinated by someone and utterly lost at the same time," he said warmly. "It's unique."

She was busy sectioning hair from behind her ear where shorter strands would blend in. Nancy tied it off with a small band, and handed Owen the scissors with a ceremonial air. 

"This won't hurt a bit," he promised.

The whole scene was getting too flirty and ridiculous, and the results of the DNA test might change Bess' life. It was still hard not to laugh as he carefully smoothed the cut loop of her hair and folded it into his shirt pocket. Nancy had to find a little tuft of strands off from his hairline that seemed like they wouldn't leave a bald patch. It was too short to tie up, so she tucked it into the baggie. 

She should figure out something to say that made the odd conversation end more typically. Nancy could feel Owen looking at her intently, and shut her eyes. 

"You're staring," she murmured. "I'm really sorry for how weird this is."

"I participated willingly. I gave up my right to complain. So will I ever hear about this shy friend's decision, do you think?"

Nancy winkled her nose. "I hope so? There really is a friend," she insisted. "And I should get back to work. This is technically my lunch break."

Owen stood up with her, and his eyebrow arched. "I eat lunch in addition to dinner. I've been known to breakfast, and once I did brunch - but that was a dark time in my life I don't like to discuss," he said, feigning sadness. "Just for your information, about meals I eat. If it helps in the weighty choice your friend faces."

He was charming, from the endearing jokes to the smear of sticky ice cream on his shoe. Nancy made herself nod and start walking. "I'll remember. Thank you, Owen!"

"Thank you," he called. 

She looked back, and he patted the shirt pocket with her hair, throwing her a wink she dodged by hurrying away. Owen Marvin might be a complication.


End file.
